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The 1940's

NATO

NATO
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7.02

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    deter, philosophy, civilian, invasion, nuclear, tentative, military, security, destruction, possibility, during, fate, civil, friendship, depend, leader
     content words:    United States, World War II, War II, Soviet Union, North Atlantic Treaty, Great Britain, Atlantic Treaty, North Atlantic Treaty Organization

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NATO
By Jane Runyon 		  
1     The United States and Russia were Allies during World War II. They fought side by side to protect Europe, and perhaps the world, from Germany's Nazi forces. But something happened to that friendship at the end of World War II. By the time the war was over, these two world powers were more enemies than friends.
 
2     Most of the problems arose because of a difference of opinions. Russia was a Communist country called the Soviet Union. They believed that the people of a country should all be members of one class. They were trying to rid the economy of the rich and the poor. The United States and the other Allies believed in allowing their people to work and trade in a less restricted way. The Russians planned to spread their Communist beliefs throughout Europe. The other Allies decided that the Soviets needed to be stopped. They did not, however, want another war like the one they had just fought. This split among the countries became known as a "Cold War."
 
3     A North Atlantic Treaty was signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 1949, by twelve countries. It was the goal of countries signing this treaty to stop the Soviet Union from gaining control of smaller nations in Europe. They also thought that a treaty would be a good way to keep peace among the nations who signed the treaty. In this treaty, each country agreed to treat the invasion of any other country in the group as an attack upon itself. In other words, if Russia invaded Denmark, Great Britain would treat it as an attack on England.

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